Are You Tired?

 

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30 ESV).

 

Before getting into writing these thoughts I hoped on to the Amazon cite to order some white men’s crew sock. Since I often find myself in work jeans and shirts to spend time in the woodshop, I like to wear a comfortable pair of cushioned crew socks under my boots. The socks I use presently are finally wearing thin, some with holes developing in the heels, I thought maybe Amazon will have some socks I can get quickly and easily. I have discovered that shopping online is not all it’s cracked up to be. I did a simple search for men’s socks, which brought hundreds of results. I refined the search a bit (though I did like some of the colored, patterned offerings) that narrowed the offerings to men’s white crew socks. There were still dozens to choose from. I finally settled on one of them and I decided to read some of the product details and reviews. That was exhausting! There were over a thousand reviews. I did not read them all… though I was tempted. I finally pressed “order” and I’ll let you know after they arrive if they’re any good… they’ll be delivered tomorrow! You know, I remember when you just picked up a package of socks while browsing the store for something else. Does anybody really do that much research and shopping for socks? Life is like that sometimes. It’s no wonder people say “TGIF!”—“Thank ‘Goodness’ It’s Friday!”

 

Our reading describes such a week for Jesus and His disciples. He had been busy teaching, healing people, answering questions, and mentoring his followers. Yet in spite of all his efforts, challenges remained. There was not enough help to get the work done (cf. Mathew 9:37). Even John the Baptist began to have doubts about him (cf. Matthew 11:3), and in those places where Jesus had done most of his miracles, people refused to repent of their sins (cf. Matthew 11:20). It has been said, “It’s not what life throws at you; it’s how you deal with it that makes all the difference.” Jesus gives us the correct response. He drew close to God. He praised God for his goodness and grace.

 

Jesus, whom the Bible says is “the exact representation of [God’s] being” (cf. Hebrews 1:3), clearly knows the pressures and frustrations of our lives. He invites us to come to him and learn from him, so that we too may have rest for our souls. Life is not easy, but God is good. Let him lead you and give you the rest you need today. You’ll be glad you did!